Is a good TV series worth a dozen writing courses?
For some of you, this might be ancient history. On the advice of our son, we started watching the first two seasons of the Sopranos on DVD–just as the series is in its last season. In just a week, we’ve gobbled up the first season and made a dent in the second.
Why the late start?
We didn’t have HBO when the series began, so we couldn’t watch. Then we got HBO, and I didn’t want to start in the middle. So here we are, just getting into Tony Soprano and his extended family. The good news is that we have a lot of great viewing ahead of us. The characters are so complex and compelling that we sit and watch them for hours. And we can do it at our own pace. If one episode isn’t enough of a Soprano fix, we can watch another–and another.
I feel like we shouldn’t like these people, but we do. Well, mostly. Tony’s got the mother from hell. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to play her. And the guys who work for Uncle Junior are slimes.
So now the question–do you think watching a good dramatic series helps a writer plot novels and work on her own characters? Or am I just making up an excuse for enjoying myself.
Rebecca.
I’m interested in character, so - believe it or not - I watch a fair amount of, gulp, ‘reality’ TV, and yes, I know much of it is scripted, but it’s interested to see the way they work social archetypes (bad girl, perfect princess, frat boy) in to so many of them.
As for other TV, I loooove Ugly Betty, so, tho’ it’s not really a dramatic series, if I can say it’s good, um, research, then I’ll go with that!
Comment by Donna Lea Simpson — April 11, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
I absolutely thinks it helps a writer with character and plot development especially if the show is a winner like the Sopranos. I know for me personally I really aspire to do in my writing what Shonda Rimes has done with the characters on Greys Anatomy. She has such a great formula, a multi-racial cast of characters that are so complex and fun in their own quirky ways and it just works so well.
Comment by Renaissancegrrl — April 12, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Yes! The Sopranos is an excellent character study! Like you, we’re watching the older episodes and catching up. And Tony’s mother! She’s so hilarious.
Comment by Jolie — April 13, 2007 @ 1:29 pm